1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a portable computer, and more particularly, to a portable computer with a power supply module having detachable and replaceable batteries.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The growth in the use of personal computers (PC) marks the present age. As a consequence of recent technical developments, various types of personal computers, such as desktop and portable types, are being manufactured and sold. The portable computers that are produced are compact and light. A good portable computer is designed while taking into consideration its use in a mobile environment, i.e., its portability and suitability for outdoor use.
Portable computers are also called laptop computers or notebook computers. Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable computer 10 according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, the portable computer 10 has a housing 14, a liquid crystal display panel 12 installed on a surface of the housing 14 for displaying image pictures, an input interface such as a keyboard 16A, a key device 16B and a touch pad 16C for inputting controlling commands and data, and a processor 18 disposed inside the housing 14 for controlling operations of the portable computer 10, such as storing data, executing programs and integrating information.
The purpose of a portable computer is to be able to be carried handily for use anywhere. Therefore, the portable computer 10 of FIG. 1 utilizes a battery 20 to supply power to the processor 18. In the prior art, the battery 20 is a cassette to be inserted into a corresponding slot 22 in the housing 14, forming a monolithic structure with the housing 14 to supply power. When using this conventional portable computer for a long period of time, two batteries 20 or more are required to prolong the operation of the portable computer 10. At first, one battery 20 is inserted into the housing 14 to supply power. Then, when the battery 20 is used up, the battery 20 can be switched to continue to use the portable computer 10.
According to the above-mentioned prior art, there are shortcomings in the conventional portable computer. First, since the battery 20 is inserted into the housing 14 to form a monolithic structure, the battery 20 is required to be covered by a hard case (such as metal or hard plastic) to have enough strength for firmly engaging with the housing 14. When covered with the hard case, the monolithic structure forms a rigid case of the portable computer 10 to bear external stresses such as collisions. Nevertheless, since the strength is obviously weakened when the battery is too lightweight and too thin, the prior art battery with a hard case is incapable of reducing volume and lightening weight. Therefore, when a plurality of spare batteries are carried with a user, the carrying weight is increased and significant space is required. The extra weight and space involved creates great inconvenience and diverges from the original purpose of the portable computer of portability.
It is therefore a primary objective of the claimed invention to provide a portable computer with a detachable power supply module to solve the above-mentioned problem.
According to the claimed invention, the portable computer comprises a housing having a contacting surface and two clamping surfaces formed at two opposite ends of the contacting surface. The portable computer further comprises a display panel installed on the housing for displaying image pictures, a processor disposed inside the housing for controlling operations of the portable computer, a first power port installed on the housing for transmitting power to the processor, and a power supply module detachably installed on the housing. The power supply module comprises a module case having a slot positioned corresponding to the contacting surface of the housing for accommodating at least one battery, a second power port installed on the slot for transmitting power supplied by the battery, two clamping devices installed at two opposite ends of the module case each corresponding to a clamping surface of the housing, and a power supply port positioned corresponding to the first power port and connected to the second power port. When attaching the power supply module onto the housing, each clamping device engages with a corresponding clamping surface to attach the power supply module onto the housing. The power supplied by the battery transmits through the second power port, through the power supply port, and then through the first power port to the processor. Moreover, the battery can be removed from the slot and replaced by another battery.
It is an advantage of the claimed invention that the portable computer has a power supply module capable of accommodating batteries and providing enough physical strength for batteries to overcome the prior art shortcomings.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.